Watching football from the Verizon box is fantastic, except for the food. Beef tenderloin, sushi, barbecue, all good, but I had to go out and make my way down two levels to find a sausage sandwich. I can get that other stuff anywhere, at the stadium I want stadium food.
Sometime in the late 1970s, my father scored free tickets to an Astros-Phillies game in the Astrodome in the field-level “red” seats. We were about 3 rows back along the right-field line, right behind the visitors’ dugout. At the time, as I recall, the dugouts had a plexiglass top on them, so if you were right up against the rail, you could look down onto the players. So my dad let me go down there about mid-game and stand by the rail and look down at the players and watch the game from there, since he was only a couple of rows back and could see me easily.
Not too long- maybe an inning or so went by, and the players noticed me. We were seated toward the bullpen-end of the dugout where the pitchers were, and one of them (Dad says it was Tug McGraw) stood up and asked me where my Dad was, so I pointed at him. He says “Hey- mind if he sits with us for a few innings?” Dad says “Sure!”, and I climbed over the plexiglass and got to hang out with the Phillies’ pitching staff for a few innings and got some bubble gum.
So I guess the closest I’ve been to the bench is ON it…
Pretty sure I’m in this photo behind the second T in State by the visitor’s bench. That was my spot for almost every basketball game in college.
I’ve sat in the front row Gillette Stadium for a handful of New England Revolution games, directly behind the bench. The only real benefit is that years ago we had this one coach who swore relentlessly during the match, which added a lot to the entertainment.
I also sat a few rows back in the seats behind the basket at a Dallas Mavericks game many years ago, which was sort of close. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy those seats all that much.
Early 2011, my son and I sat about five rows behind the Mets’ dugout for a double-header at Citi Field. David Wright game my son his game-used wristband, a memento he treasures to this day.